The Best Beginner Camera — How To Choose

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How do you choose the best beginner camera or the best camera to buy when there are just so many options out there? Which camera brands are the best and have the best beginner cameras? What do you have to watch out for when selecting your first camera and what are the alternatives? I answer all of that and more so that you can make a more informed purchase decision when starting out photography or videography.

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Beginners Guide Series

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0:00 Intro
1:35 What will you be capturing?
4:20 Budget
10:30 Sensor size
14:26 Video specs
16:21 Build
19:49 Brand
23:14 Wrap up

[alvarodiaz]

The best beginner camera is 1) the one you can affords and 2) the one you’ll use.

[hotherside]

Compared to 10 years ago, there are now many great camera options available. However, nitpicking spec sheets can be overwhelming and often leads to wasted time and headaches when trying to choose the perfect "first" camera. As someone who has used Nikon, Canon, Sony, and Fuji, I recommend picking a camera that is great or good enough, using it for a while, and then considering other options to find the camera that is near-perfect for you.

Nearly seven years have passed since I picked up my very first camera, yet I still continue the journey of discovering my ideal setup with my budget, and the style of photography or video that I want to focus on.

Great vid, Pat!

[isabellapando]

This was very helpful, I’ve felt lost in the overwhelming amount of options and this definitely gave me some great information on how to narrow it down! Excited to watch more of your videos and learn once I choose my first camera!

[DanaPushie]

Great mix of clear, camera specs/facts and opinion Pat. As they say the best camera is the one you have. Having gone down the rabbit hole of what to buy recently myself I tried to factor in all of the accessories I felt were needed; such as lenses, tripod, monopod, filters, extra batteries, editing software, training/tutorials, travel, printing, etc.. Until I created a minimum list of gear and accessories setting a budget was kind of meaningless to me. This helped inform my decision making. Great stuff Pat. Thanks, signed, the one-handed southpaw.

[MeAMuse]

Have to say I love how you approach topics. Helping people choose cameras is always stressful! It's hard because there is no such thing as a perfect camera, and pretty much every beginner will just list everything as something they want to shoot. They want a camera that has the best image quality, that gives shallow DOF, that is small, light, flexible, comfortable to grip, with fast autofocus, 4K video with no focus breathing, lots of dynamic range and all for under $800. Basically unrealistic. When helping people choose a camera I help them understand that everything in photography is a compromise, so I give them categories where they have to force rank options. Based on those I will give them 2 or 3 camera choices, and tell them the pros and cons of each. From there we start talking other brand alternatives. One thing to note though is that most the time beginners are very focused on budget (I think because they underestimate just how expensive a hobby it is)... and in my experience their initial budget is usually smaller that it should be. I think a lot of beginners underinvest, don't connect with the gear, and are unhappy with the results. At least with giving options with pros and cons... You can help them make the best decision that they can and get them a camera they love and actually want to carry with them.

[pixelsandpointers]

Bought a second-hand Sony A7s II this week for my studies abroad in Taiwan, after using my Canon D1200 for the past 6 years. Now I’m looking into lenses and got myself the 40mm G from Sony as a start for Street and Landscape photography. Can’t wait to learn more about the advanced stuff that the camera offers 🎉

[RYANROOTPHOTO]

Knew the title didn’t apply to me but watched anyway because it’s PAT KAY BABAY

[lizasaguin]

Thank you for making and sharing this video for free! Buying secondhand is starting to sound like a good idea, now that I've watched your video.
I wanted to buy a dedicated camera/tool for photos and videos for an everyday memory log, but the prices (even for fixed lenses cameras) just break the bank.

[tonykeltsflorida]

Lens system is very important. Of course now I guess if you want to get adapters you can mix and match. I like to use Canon EF mount lenses. My 2 main cameras are the Canon SL2 and the Canon M6 mark II. I have a speed booster for the M6 II. I think these cameras are good for beginners and they don't lose much over time.

[samlai]

It's such a breath of fresh air to know you shoot with a 1 inch sensor too. I've been using my 1inch for 7 years! I love it so much coz it's so compact. It shoots great daylight photos and amazing night shots(tripod is a must).

[dennisaguilar]

Thank you for your honesty, shared expertise, and professionalism.

[itz.lainnn]

i know this video is a bit old, but i'm just getting into photography now and acting on my lifetime dream of making this a living, and your videos have made that SO easy. thank you for these videos!!!

[shoto]

I’ve been getting into photography in the last year after my sister gave me my first camera because she doesn’t use it. After almost a year, I’ve found things I want to improve but I just want to get a new lenses to allow myself to take wider shots along with maybe a cleaner look in camera

[sonneblendet]

After years of photography and also watching lots of lots of videos about photography I have to say this is the best video I have ever see. Everything is absolutely correct and clever.
Thank you and much respect!

[Savitar-yskb]

The way I got into photography was by gaming like GTA 5 with their camera mode where I can get clips and edits those clips into subsections, change the exposure, saturation, vibrance, etc. I did that for like 2-3 years until I moved to doing photography on my iPhone, taking on the spot street photography as a hobby. After that I heard about the part 107 drone license and got that and recently got my mini 3 pro and 🤌🤌🤌, camera is golden even though it’s a used drone. Like you said, people get into photography in many ways, for me, my entry was through gaming

[MissSuperNerd]

3:46 Been struggling with choosing a camera to start with. The fact that you started with the motivation behind the purchase, earned my immediate trust in the remaining content.

You walked subscribers through the selection and buying process like a true mentor. My anxiety, racing thoughts, disappeared with each chapter of the videos.

You gave so much food for thought, and exceptional instruction that was encouraging, whilst providing a gentle reality check.

Thank you so much for your insight, guidance, and patience🙏🏾💜.

[lexyarnall]

this was so so helpful as I was starting to get overwhelmed with choice!! thank you!

[howardlobb]

Really well made video & clear advice. Thank you.

[HectorVerdin-xver]

this video was so helpful, thank youuu 🫶🏻🫶🏻

[bakaduo]

Great video and advice Pat! I jumped in about 2yrs ago with the 6400 and tossing up to see if i should save for the 6700 or save even more and go FF.

Will you do a video on lenses for 2023?